Shocked by the new Game of Thrones king? Gwendoline Christie wasn’t – she secretly predicted it years ago

We were all out here playing checkers with our Game of Thrones theories and ideas about who would rule the roost after Game of Thrones season 8 when, unbeknownst to us, Gwendoline Christie has been out here playing 5D Westerosi Chess this whole time. The actress, who played Brienne on the show, somehow predicted Bran’s fate in the Game of Thrones finale a couple of years ago. She explains it better than the show ever could too, which is pretty darn impressive.

During an interview with Extra TV during press for Game of Thrones season 7 in 2017 (which you can also see below), Christie is asked to give her thoughts on who would end up sitting on the Iron Throne. Of course, at the time, we didn’t know Westeros’ favourite seat would end up in a fire-infused puddle, but her answer is still suitably brilliant.

“Don’t you think it’ll be someone out of left-field,” Christie begins to explain, with Three-Eyed Raven-levels of foresight, “[Dany and the Night King] seem like the obvious choices, but what we know about the show constantly surprises you. So, I’m wondering if it might be Bran.”

That’s a bingo! Even in the weeks leading up to the Game of Thrones finale, surely no one could have reckoned that the middle Stark boy turned weird timey-wimey force of nature would be ruling over all of Westeros, but, boy, does Christie have her reasons. Spoilers: They might make you angry at the show for not introducing this twist.

“We keep seeing the world from his perspective. We keep seeing the visions. So, is he in the future projecting into the past?”

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, who’s also present during the junket, interjects, “If this is real, right, he also made Jaime push him out the window?” Christie, without missing a beat, replies: “Yes.”

God damn, I so wish this was the big reveal in the finale now. Bran would have everyone questioning whether he was the villain this whole time, and would’ve definitely added an extra layer of complexity to what was, for some, a disappointingly straightforward send-off.

Ser Brienne of Tarth herself has responded to her perfect prediction, too, simply putting a woman shrugging emoji.

Well, that’s one way to undersell the greatest piece of forward-thinking since Bran gifted Arya her Night King-killing dagger.

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